ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Drone Technology
Looking into the unique advantages of Drone technologies in agriculture, the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has released the Standard Operating Procedures  for use of drones in pesticide and nutrient application in public domain in December 2021, which provide concise instructions for effective and safe operations of drones. In order to make this technology affordable to the farmers and other stakeholders of this sector, financial assistance @ 100 % cost of drone together with the contingent expenditure is extended under Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization  to the Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institutes, Institutions of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Krishi Vigyan Kendra  and State Agricultural Universities  for its demonstration on the farmer’s fields. In order to provide agricultural services through drone application, financial assistance @ 40% of the basic cost of drone and its attachments or Rs.4 lakhs, whichever less is also provided for drone purchase by existing and new Custom Hiring Centers  under Cooperative Society of Farmers, Farmers Producer Organizations  and Rural entrepreneurs. The agriculture graduates establishing CHCs are eligible to receive financial assistance @ 50% of the cost of drone up to a maximum Rs.5.00 lakhs. Funds are released for Drone technology promotion based on the proposals received from various eligible entities under the scheme and during the current year, so far an amount of Rs. 2.25 Crores have been released towards this. The Ministry of Civil Aviation  has published ‘Drone Rules 2021’ to regulate the use and operation of Drones in India, which have to be complied for all Drone operations and as per these rules the Unique Identification Number for drone operation is necessary. However, the requirement of Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit has been waived off.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Lok Sabh Sabha Today.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Government is in the process of finalising 'India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture ' which will lay down a framework for Agristack
This Ecosystem shall help the Government in effective planning towards increasing the income of farmers in particular and improving the efficiency of the Agriculture sector as a whole
The Department has commenced the work for creating Agristack in the country. In order to create Agristack, the department is in the process of finalising “India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture ” which will lay down a framework for Agristack. Accordingly, a Task Force has been constituted and in furtherance, a Concept Paper on IDEA has already been floated for comments from the general public not only through department’s website but also through emails especially to subject matter specialists, Agro-Industry, Farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations . The IDEA would help in laying down the architecture for the Agri-stack in the country and that would serve as a foundation to build innovative agri-focused solutions leveraging emerging technologies to contribute effectively in creating a better Ecosystem for Agriculture in India. This Ecosystem shall help the Government in effective planning towards increasing the income of farmers in particular and improving the efficiency of the Agriculture sector as a whole. As a first step in this direction Government has already initiated building federated farmers’ database that would serve as the core of the envisaged Agristack.
No private sector companies are involved as far as building of the Agristack is concerned. However, leading Technology/Agri-tech/StartUp companies were identified and invited to collaborate with the Government of India to develop Proof of Concepts  based on small portions of data from the federated Farmers’ database for certain identified areas . A public call through the Department’s website has been placed inviting proposals for PoCs. MoUs purely on pro bono basis with selected companies are being signed, for a period of one year to develop PoCs. The PoCs will help in understanding solutions that can be built using available data and some of them, if found beneficial to the farmers will be scaled up at National level.
Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has signed an MoU with Esri India Technologies Private Limited for working on a Proof of Concept  in select Districts/Villages to develop a model for an Agriculture Geo-Hub with an objective to establish a framework to collect and integrate available geo-spatial information with other associated information, perform spatial analytics, share results & data and deploy dynamic Apps which would support estimates for policy planning, monitoring requirements and ease in decision making.
This information was given by Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Defence
INS Shardul arives in Madagascar with relief material
Indian Naval Ship Shardul entered Port Antsiranana, Madagascar on 10 Mar 20. The ship was carrying 600 tonnes of rice as per directives of Govt of India. An official ceremony for handing over the rice from the Government of India to Government of Madagascar was held onboard INS Shardul at 0900h on 12 Mar 20. The ceremony was attended by the Madagascar Foreign Minister, Dr. Tehindrazanarivelo Djacoba and various high ranking officials from the Madagascar Defence forces and civilian organizations. The Indian side was represented by the Ambassador of India to Madagascar, Mr Abhay Kumar and the ship’s Commanding Officer, Cdr Abhishek Pathak.
The Foreign Minister of Madagascar appreciated the assistance provided by India and the Indian Navy. He described India as a true friend who is always there during the time of need. He wished that the ties between the two countries will reach newer heights in the days to come.
Prime Minister's Office
PM expresses grief over boat accident in Assam
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the boat accident in Assam. He said all possible efforts are being made to rescue the passengers.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
"Saddened by the boat accident in Assam. All possible efforts are being made to rescue the passengers. I pray for everyone’s safety and well-being."
PIB Headquarters
Urgent Information For Tourists
All Tourist places in the State of Meghalaya are closed till 31st March, 2020 and there is a possibility that this may be extended up to 15th April, 2020. All tourists intending to visit Shillong and other places in Meghalaya are requested to re-schedule their travel plans accordingly.
It is stated in a press release issued by the Director, Information & Public Relations Govt. of Meghalaya.
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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Bilateral Discussions held between Shri. Ashwini Kumar Choubey, MoS, India and Minister of Agriculture, Biosecurity, Food Safety and Rural Communities, Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth, New Zealand
Shri. Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare and Mr. Damien O’Connor, Minister of Agriculture, Minister for Biosecurity, Food Safety and Rural Communities and Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth Government of the New Zealand held bilateral discussions at Nirman Bhavan today.
During the bilateral meeting, Shri. Choubey highlighted the new initiative taken by Government of India to achieve Universal Health Coverage  by way of an ambitious programme called “Ayushman Bharat” i.e. Long live India. He also mentioned that India has both a fast growing research and development industry in the health sector and an increasingly important role as a producer of quality generic medicines which are affordable. “Drugs from India are exported to more than 180 countries. A major chunk of such exports relate to generic drugs which India has been able to offer at competitive rates while maintaining requisite quality”, Shri. Choubey added.
Both Ministers appreciated the progress made under the MoU on Food Security between Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and the Ministry of Primary Industry of New Zealand. On underlining the advances made in the Indian Pharma Industry and health care, both the Ministers agreed to further strengthen the cooperation in these sectors.
Also present at the meeting were other senior officers of the Ministry.
President's Secretariat
President of India presents Sangeet Natak Akademi’s fellowships and Akademi Awards
Art binds the linguistic diversity and regional characteristics in one thread: President Murmu
The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu presented the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Fellowships  and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards  for the year 2019, 2020 and 2021 in New Delhi today .
Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the civilization showcases the material achievements of a nation but intangible heritage reveals through its culture. Culture is the real identity of a country. India's unique performing arts have kept our incredible culture alive for centuries. Our arts and artists are the carriers of our rich cultural heritage. 'Unity in diversity' is the biggest feature of our cultural traditions.
The President said that in our tradition, art is a spiritual practice, a medium of the search for truth, a medium of prayer and worship, a medium of public welfare. Collective exuberance and unity also find expression through dance and music. Art binds the linguistic diversity and regional characteristics in one thread.
The President said that we should take pride in the fact that the oldest and best definitions and traditions of art have developed in our country. Our cultural values have become more useful in the modern era. In today's time which is full of tension and conflict, Indian arts can spread peace and harmony. Indian arts are also the best example of India's soft power.
The President said that just as nature’s gifts like air and water do not recognize human limitations, the art forms are also above language and geographical boundaries. The music of M. S. Subbulakshmi, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Lata Mangeshkar, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and Bhupen Hazarika are unhindered by language or geography. With their immortal music, they have left an invaluable legacy for music lovers not only in India but all over the world.
Please click here to see the President’s Speech –
Ministry of Home Affairs
Streamlining the process of disbursal of Pension to Freedom Fighters
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri G. Kishan Reddy, in a written reply to a question on complaints regarding pension to freedom fighters, in Lok Sabha today, said that after sanction of Swatantrata Sainik Samman Yojana  pension, the disbursement is done by the banks. As far as non-disbursement of pension is concerned very few complaints are received in Ministry of Home Affairs  which are taken up immediately with the concerned bank for their resolution.
Shri Reddy stated that to streamline the application process of dependent pension under Swatantrata Sainik Samman Yojana, detailed Revised Policy Guidelines 2014 were issued. As per these guidelines, after death of the pensioner, the pension is transferred to the widow by the concerned bank itself if she applies within 6 months. After 6 months, the application is referred to MHA for process & grant of pension. MHA has set up a Pension Disbursement Monitoring Cell  to monitor disbursement of freedom fighter pension. Further, meetings are convened with the banks from time to time to ensure that pensions are disbursed smoothly.
Pension is disbursed through authorized banks. The digitization is a process of reconciliation of records available in Ministry with Banks, CPAO, PAO & AG Offices on a digital platform. There is no role of pensioners in this process, therefore, no such problems are faced by extremely old age pensioners due to digitization, Shri Reddy informed the House.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Update on COVID-19 Vaccine Availability in States/UTs
More than 150.66 Crore vaccine doses provided to States/UTs
More than 16.94 Crore balance and unutilized vaccine doses still available with States/UTs
The Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country. The nationwide COVID 19 vaccination started on 16th January 2021. The new phase of universalization of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from 21st June 2021. The vaccination drive has been ramped up through availability of more vaccines, advance visibility of vaccine availability to States and UTs for enabling better planning by them, and streamlining the vaccine supply chain.
As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, Government of India has been supporting the States and UTs by providing them COVID Vaccines free of cost. In the new phase of the universalization of the COVID19 vaccination drive, the Union Government will procure and supply  75% of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to States and UTs.
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VACCINE DOSES
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SUPPLIED
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1,50,66,89,775
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BALANCE AVAILABLE
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16,94,15,866
More than 150.66 crore  vaccine doses have been provided to States/UTs so far through Govt. of India  and through direct state procurement category.
More than 16.94 Cr  balance and unutilized COVID Vaccine doses are still available with the States/UTs to be administered.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Quality priority is a way to world markets
8th November, Ahmedabad: QCI jointly with FICCI organised its 9th Regional Quality Conclave  at Crown Plaza, Ahmedabad on the theme “Quality Enablers for Manufacturing Competitiveness & Trade.” The Conclave had 3 interesting Sessions on: Enablers for Competitiveness, Innovation & Quality in Manufacturing, Accreditation & Certification –Assuring Quality and Facilitating Trade and Measures for Achieving Manufacturing Excellence.
The Inaugural Address was given by the CEO NBQP, Mr.C K Biswas wherein he welcomed the delegates and said that the purpose of organising this Conclave in Ahmedabad is that we want to make people of the state aware about the importance of quality by adopting a quality culture. He encouraged the gathering to always think of innovation regarding improvement of quality.
While addressing the gathering Mr. Shyam Bang, Chairman, NABCB/QCI and FICCI Task Force on Manufacturing Excellence said, ‘’More than Quality, Quality systems are important. We at QCI and FICCI focus on Quality Systems to ensure that quality products and services are delivered to the citizens.’’
‘’Understanding customer’s quality needs brings competitiveness through giving maximum value for money for the customers’’ said Mr Deepak Mehta, Chairman, FICCI Gujarat State Council.
Speaking on the occasion Mr Sunil Parekh, Co-Chairman, FICCI Gujarat State Council said that there is much work that industry themselves have to do to succeed in the area of global competitiveness.
Other dignitaries who graced the occasion were namely, Mr Anupam Jalote, CEO, International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology ; Mr Rajkumar Jagyasi, Chief Operating Officer , Milacron; Mr Sunil Shukla, Director, Entrepreneurship Development Institute Of India ; Mr Nikunj Thakkar, Co-founder, DataOne Innovation Labs; Mr Rajesh Maheshwari, CEO, National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies ; Ms Poonam Gupta, Assistant Director, NABCB; Mr M M Singh, Executive Advisor, Maruti Suzuki; Mr Bhaskar Chhabra, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt Ltd; Mr Aviral Chopra, Head - HUL Manufacturing Operations; Mr Nital Zaveri, CEO, Concept Business Excellence Pvt Ltd; Mr Anoop Goel, Head – RPO & General Manager , Engineers India Limited; Mr Naveen Pilania, General Manager - Operational Excellence, Zydus Group and Mr Virat Dhebar, Assistant Vice President , TUV SUD South Asia.
The vote of thanks was given by Mr. C K Biswas, CEO, NBQP. More than 250+ delegates attended the Conclave making it a huge success.
DS/RP
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Ministry of Home Affairs
Nation Flag to Fly at Half Mast in Delhi on September 24th on Buildings where it is usually Flown as Mark of Respect to Union Minister of State for Railways, Shri Suresh C. Angadi who has passed away
The Government of India announces with profound sorrow the death of Shri Suresh C. Angadi, Union Minister of State for Railways, Government of India on September 23, 2020, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences , New Delhi.
As a mark of respect to the departed dignitary, the National Flag will fly at half mast in Delhi on September 24, 2020 on the buildings where it is usually flown and on the day of the funeral, at the place where the funeral takes place.
The date, time and venue of the funeral will be intimated later.
Ministry of Power
8th Indo German Energy Forum  2019 meets in Delhi : discuss areas to enhance cooperation in Energy sector
Eight Agreements/MoUs inked
The 8th meeting of the Indo – German Energy Forum concluded on 1stNovember, 2019 in New Delhi. The Forum was co-chaired by Mr. SanjivNandanSahai, Secretary.  from the Indian side and Mr. Christian Hirte, Secretary of State, Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, Germany.
The Forum took note of the ongoing cooperation under the following four sub-groups:
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- Sub Group-I : Flexibilization in Thermal Power Plants.
- Sub Group-II : Renewable Energies
- Sub Group-III : Demand side energy efficiency and low carbon growth strategies
- Sub Group-IV : Green Energy Corridors
The Forum also finalized the roadmap for future collaboration between the two countries which, inter-alia, include Flexibilisation of existing coal fired power plants, promoting niche markets for Solar Energy, promotion of energy efficiency in buildingsthrough ECBC, building materials and credit lines for financing corresponding measures and RE evacuation through state-of-the-art intra-state and inter-state transmission grid infrastructure.
Ministry of Power and Ministry of New & Renewable Energy signed 8 Implementation Agreements/ MoUs with the German counterparts.
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan participates in brainstorming session on Reimagination of training institutes under MSDE
Union Education and Skill Development Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan participated in brainstorming session on ‘Reimagination of training institutes’ under Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship here today. MoS, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar; Secretary, MSDE, Shri Rajesh Aggarwal along senior officials of Capacity Building Commission, DGT, NSTI, NIESBUD and Skill Ministry were present on the occasion.
While addressing the participants Shri Pradhan said that technology is rapidly changing our world. From education to health, agriculture to finance, every sector is witnessing unprecedented developments triggered by technology. This is creating new opportunities and the need for a new skills landscape, he added.
The Minister stressed that building the capacities of trainers is critical to develop a vibrant workforce for the 21st century. The training institutes must reimagine and reinvent themselves with a comprehensive and futuristic strategy to strengthen the skills ecosystem, he added.
Shri Pradhan further said that we need to prepare 25 lakh trainers in the next 3 years. The training institutes under MSDE will be a hotspot in our endeavour to develop effective trainers who will play an important role in developing next-gen workforce, he added.
He said that the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has envisioned to make India a skill hub. He called for greater innovation, institutional reforms, new ideas, international collaborations, leveraging technology to bring in a new approach towards reimagining our skills ecosystem and make India, the skill capital of the world.
Special Service and Features
Bumper harvest of Karimeen, Tilapia for SC, ST families
Adding colour to their Christmas celebration, members of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe communities in Nettoor and Ezhikkara had a bumper harvest of Pearl spot and Tilapia through cage fish farming. The 8-month-long cage farming was carried out under the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan  and Tribal Sub Plan  schemes of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute .
‘Sreedevi’ SHG which includes 22 ST families in Thandassery Colony in Nettoor harvested a yield of 600 kgs of Pearl spot and 1300 kgs of Tilapia from four cages. While the Pearl spots attained an average growth of 300 gms, Tilapia attained an average weight of 650 gms. Under the TSP scheme, the ST families were provided cages and ancillary facilities, fish seeds and feed.
Five SC families benefited from the cage farming carried out in Ezhikkara under the SCSP scheme as they managed to harvest 250 kgs of Tilapia from one cage. A team of researchers from CMFRI led by Dr K Madhu, Dr Rema Madhu and Shri Rajesh N coordinated the cage farming ventures.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 UPDATE
156.02cr vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
India's Active caseload currently stands at 14,17,820
Active cases standat 3.85%
Recovery Rate currently at 94.83%
1,22,684recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to3,49,47,390
2,68,833new cases recorded in the last 24 hours
6,041 Total Omicron cases detected so far; an increase of 5.01% since yesterday
Daily positivity rate 
Weekly Positivity Rate 
70.07cr Total Tests conducted so far; 16,13,740 tests conducted in the last 24 hours
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurates and lays foundation stone of 8 National Highway projects worth Rs 1800 crore at Igatpuri ,Nashik,Maharashtra
Union Minister For Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid foundation stone of 8 National Highway projects of 226 km length worth Rs 1800 crore at Igatpuri ,Nashik,Maharashtra today in the presence of Union Minister of State Dr. Bharti Pawar, Member of Parliament Dr. Subhash Bhamre, Mr. Hemant Godse, MLAs and officials .
With these highway projects transportation in the district will be accessible and safe, Fuel and time will be saved, as well as pollution will be less. These projects will make it easier for agricultural and handicraft business to reach the local markets, help in connectivity of the rural areas with the cities more accessible, as well as new industries and new employment opportunities will be created through them.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Sports Ministry approves Rs 8.16 Lakh for fencer Bhavani Devi to compete in four FIE World Cups
Tokyo Olympian and the first-ever Indian fencer to represent the country at the Olympics, Bhavani Devi is set for participation in four international competitions ina 2022. An overall amount of Rs 8.16 Lakh has been sanctioned by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports via the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition  to facilitate Bhavani’s participation in the competitions.
Bhavani, who won her first round individual sabre match before going down in the Round of 32 match at the Tokyo games earlier this year, will be taking part at a training camp in Tbilisi, Georgia from January 4, before competing at the International Fencing Federation  World Cup in the same city from January 14 to 16. She will then be competing at the World Cup in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, scheduled from January 28 to 29. Bhavani, currently ranked 55 in the world in the individual women’s sabre category, will then compete at the following FIE World Cups in Greece and Belgium on March 4 to 5 and March 18 to 19 respectively.
The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, earlier this year, approved an ACTC amount of Rs 3 Crores to the Fencing Association of India  for the financial year 2021-22, until March 2022. As per the ACTC mechanism, the Government of India releases grants to all the recognized National Sports Federations  every financial year, after going through the NSFs long-term projections, list of national and international competitions/camps and athlete training programs.